More Parts

Per Nana's request, here is a video clip of Kylee saying her name and naming several body parts (belly, nose, elbow, eyebrow, and neck). There's a big water drop on the lens that makes it a little hard to see. Sorry nana!

She can also name eye, toe, knee, arm, and finger and can point to hand, foot, ear, head, hair, mouth, teeth, and tongue (I know I've listed some of those before, but I couldn't remember which ones they were).

Revenge of the Bugs

Kylee's bug hunting has come back to bite her....literally! Yesterday morning she had what looked like a mosquito bite on her right leg. By night fall, the bump was blistery and oozing. So, guess where went today? That's right - BACK to the doctor AGAIN, where Kylee received her 3rd shot in 3 days! Apparently she had an allergic reaction to a bug bite. The good news: the bite isn't anything serious; her ears look better, and doc gave us the green light to rejoin society. Since our 'stay home to stay away from the doctor' plan obviously isn't working, starting tomorrow we will be out and about in full force, making up for lost time and reconnecting with all of our long lost friends. Monday I will be calling to make a new friend: Environmental Pest Control.

Making Her Mark

Sometimes when Kylee and I play with the sidewalk chalk, I write her name and say the letters aloud. A couple days ago, Kylee was playing with her Etch-a-sketch and all of a sudden says "E... E... Kylee!" Yesterday morning she did the same thing while scribbling in her journal with markers. She then took her marker to her corvette and scribbled on the door. "E E Kylee!" she sang. She proceeded to 'tag' several of her favorite toys before I caught up with her and took the marker away.

Tomboy & Bug Catcher Extrodinaire

Snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails... supposedly that's what little boys are made of, but Kylee definitely has a place in her heart for these things. In fact, the only things she seems like more than those are trucks, creepy crawly bugs, and her daddy.

This afternoon about a billion rolly pollies emerged from the crack between the house and the porch where the dog house used to be. Usually I'm pretty ok with creepy crawly bugs (rolley pollies, ladybugs, june bugs, etc). It's the slimy suckers that freak me out. However, I must admit I was pretty creeped out by this massive pack of pill bugs. Kylee, on the other hand, was in heaven. She immediately grabbed her bug box and went to work collecting. I'm actually quite amazed at how fast she can pick up bugs and that she can do so without squishing them. I'm also impressed with her rapidly growing bug knowledge. She knows the difference between a bug and a spider. She can say both words and knows that we aren't allowed to touch spiders. She also knows what "ant bugs" and mosquitoes are. She knows that they both bite and that we stomp ants and squash mosquitoes.

Hanging Tough

Not too long after I posted the last blog entry, Kylee's temperature rose to 102.6!!! She has NEVER had a temp above 100. So, I was very worried.

This morning we went back to Dr. Legako's office. The verdict: Her ears were getting better, but now she has a really bad, really red, pussy sore throat! Poor baby!!!! She had to get 2 shots and tomorrow we start yet another round of antibiotics. According to the doc, this type of virus takes anywhere from 5 to 21 days from the time of exposure to the time it rears its ugly head. So, there is no telling when/where she caught it.

Dr. Legako said her throat was so bad that he highly doubted she would eat today and not to be surprised if she doesn't drink much either. He was wrong. Kylee cried most the morning, but we gave her some ice cream and french fries at lunch and that seemed to perk her right up. By the afternoon she was back outside on her usual bug hunting adventures. She ate an entire can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup for dinner and ate another 1/2 of a can about 2 hours later!

Here are a few pictures of Kylee enjoying the warm weather Sunday afternoon before the fever struck:

Spoke Too Soon :(

No sooner did I push the "publish" button on my last post, did Kylee wake up from her nap screaming. She eventually fell back to sleep for a while and seemed fine when she first woke up. She started getting more and more of a 'sick' look to her (although still no nose goo), and by the time we got home from dinner at my mom's, she had an underarm temp of 100.1 (which is very high for her!). Ughhhh!!! I don't get it!! She hasn't had an elevated temperature at all in over a week and has seemed almost back to 100% for the last 2 days. Of course tomorrow is Memorial Day. So, the doctor's office will be closed. I'll have to wait until Tuesday morning to call Dr. Legako.
Until further notice, Kylee and I are now on total lock down. No shopping or errands of any kind. There will also be no playing in the front yard (there's a neighbor kid that sometimes wanders over) and no water table (she sometimes sneaks a drink). Robert is picking up some chicken noodle soup on his way home from work. I will be pumping her full of it over the next few days and may also give her some juice for the extra vitamin C.
My poor baby girl! I hate this! ugh! ugh! UGGGGHHHH!

All Better and Ready to Play.....Almost

Its been 13 days since Kylee and I quarantined ourselves. Kylee finished the last of her antibiotics this morning, and I am happy to report that the goo train has FINALLY come to a halt! :) Here are a few of the things we've been up to since we went into hiding:

playing in the playhut....

making cupcakes....

catching bugs....

spending time with grandma...

Playing outside....

soaking in some sun....

keeping the dog hydrated....

Daddy & daughter gymnastics

Kylee still sounds a little bit congested, but overall she seems to be feeling great. While we are both in serious need of some peer interaction, I think we are going to play it safe and stay home just a few more days (other than necessary Wal-mart runs and maybe a few restaurant stops). I've heard several reports of sick kiddos out and about Lawton, and I want to make sure Kylee is 100% before I bring her out to battle their germs.

Back to the Doctor.....AGAIN!

A few days ago, Kylee woke up with all sorts of goo. She's also had a little bit of an elevated temperature off and on (99....so not an official "fever", but she usually runs low). She had just finished the last of her antibiotics right before all this came about. So, fearing another ear infection, I took her back to the doctor this morning. Maybe I should go back to school to be a doctor, because my hypothesis/fear about what was going on was right on the nose! Just as I suspected, her ear infection has actually gotten worse instead of better. Dr. Legako says she was probably about 80% over the infection when the 2nd virus hit, resulting in more congestion and therefore more infection. UGH!! This is one of those rare occasions where its actually no fun to be exactly right.
The good news is Kylee did great at the doctor. When we walked into the waiting room she rain straight to the fish tank and squealed with glee. Instead of crying when she saw the nurse, she actually waived and said "hi". She actually wanted to lay down on the scale and made me measure her twice. She sat perfectly still while Dr. Legako looked in her ears and actually asked for him to listen to her heart!
The great news is the doc is pretty confident that "more aggressive treatments" (i.e. tubes) will not be needed. He thinks one more round of antibiotics will do the trick (and yes, I'm giving them to her). I've also decided to keep her away from other kids for a couple weeks, which means no more gymnastics or playdates until the fairytale picnic on May 29. We're going to miss all of our Connect the Tot friends like crazy!

Grandpa's Legacy

A few days ago I found out that there has been a scholarship set up in my dad's name. The Mike Jones Memorial Scholarship is a $600 college scholarship available to a senior at Eisenhower High school. The student has to write a 250 word essay explaining how a coach or sport had a positive influence on him/her. The scholarship was set up by the Rendina family. Beth Rendina was one of the many MANY kiddos my dad coached.
Sportsmanship was a big deal to my dad, and he made sure it was a big deal to the kids on his teams too. Our soccer team was the first team in LAOSA league history to win both the league championship and the sportsmanship award. That was when I was in 1st grade, but he was so proud that I still remember. He coached my soccer teams throughout elementary school and coached Steven and Michelle's teams too.

He also not only coached, but founded Lawton's very first competitive (traveling) softball team. We placed in class B state. The team continued even after I stopped playing and eventually went on to class A nationals! He coached my softball teams for 8 years (2 of them year round) and coached Michelle's teams (which were way better than mine) for 7.

He also coached baseball and basketball a few times.

I always assumed that some day we would coach my daughter's team together. It makes me sad that Kylee never got to meet him and that he never got to meet her. I know he would be so proud of her! I plan to tell Kylee lots about him so that she can be just as proud of him as I am.

Leilani Park Update

This weekend we added a couple things to Kylee's playground. Friday Uncle Mike gave us (free!)Isaac's old climber/slide. It's super awesome! The slide is about twice as high as the one we already had, and it has a side that looks like a rock wall. Here is a picture I got online:

Saturday I got my mother's day gift: a swing set for Kylee! We weren't planning on getting one until next year, but we came across a baragian that was too good to pass up. Target and Amazon.com are currently selling this swing set for about $450 plus shipping. We got it from a friend for $150!

Now Kylee really does have her own backyard park! She loves it and actually plays with everything in it!

The best part is the only thing we had to spend money on (other than fencing material) is the swing set, which we got an incrediable deal on!

We decided to call the park 'Leilani Park', but she calls it "Dada Park", because she watched Robert put up the fence and put together her swing set. When she wants to play she'll say/sign "outside" then point to the backdoor and say "Dadda......Dadda park". When she's finished playing, she opens the gate (on her own!), walks out, and says "bye bye park!"

Leilani Park

Last week Robert and a couple of his buddies replaced the back of our fence with a chain link fence. While they were at it, they also fenced in an area of the yard just for Kylee and her toys. This way we can let her play barefoot in the yard (she climbs better without shoes) without worrying about her stepping in dog poop. Its like her own little park.

The New Do

Here are a few more pictures of Kylee with her new hair cut. Love it! :)

1st Hair Cut

Today I took Kylee to my hair dresser, Beth, for her first hair cut. Kylee did a super job! It was obvious that she was a little unsure of the whole process, but she didn't cry or fuss at all! She got a little wiggley towards the end, but overall she was actually pretty still. She rarely ever lets me touch her hair for even a minute without screaming and running away. So, I was very (pleasantly) surprised and so proud of her today!
Before: mommy's shaggy little princess


During: sitting still like a big girl!

After: diva princess with her new do (and baggy of hair for the baby book)

Kylee's official first hair cut certificate